By Ben Lindsley (@ben_lindsley)

LANDOVER, MD – The Washington Commanders take on the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football in Week 6 of the 2025 NFL Season. (Joe Glorioso / All-Pro Reels)

We’ve made it just over halfway through the NFL season, and it’s safe to say that nobody expected what has gone down thus far. How do the Broncos and Patriots have the best records in the AFC? Are the Philadelphia Eagles the most fraudulent defending Super Bowl champions in league history? (Yes.) And who in God’s name told Daniel Jones he could start playing like a competent quarterback again? Ramblings aside, this article will evaluate who would win each major NFL award, plus a couple more, if the season ended today. As always, these decisions were made objectively and without bias, which means the winners are correct and final. They could probably put this on their LinkedIn profile if they wanted to. That’s how objectively correct they are. Let’s get it. 

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts 

2025’s draft class has been as successful as ever, especially for offensive players. The thing is, most of the top guys were not who people were expecting. Many expected CB/WR Travis Hunter to make a case for both Offensive and Defensive ROY. Had he not needed season-ending knee surgery after a non-contact injury during an Oct. 30 practice, there was a chance, albeit small, that he could have. Even top picks like Titans QB Cam Ward and Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty have underperformed. Conversely, later picks like Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka, Colts TE Tyler Warren, and even fifth-round gem Oronde Gadsden II of the Chargers have performed exceptionally well. I’m giving the edge to Ty Warren here, as he has been an essential cog in the machine that is the new-look Colts offense. Versatility was his calling card at Penn State, notably lining up at quarterback, wide receiver, running back, and even as a center in college. That flexibility has already been on full display during his short time in Indianapolis. Warren’s 617 receiving yards are third-most by tight ends, trailing only future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce and budding superstar Trey McBride. Not only is his receiving on point, but his run blocking has been phenomenal; look no further than Jonathan Taylor for proof. The other day, I read a Sports Illustrated article by Sean Ackerman on why Warren should be named an All-Pro at the fullback position. It’s a fascinating read and I highly recommend checking it out. Nevertheless, both his production and versatility should Warren-t Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. I’m sorry for that, it will happen again. 

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Carson Schwesinger, LB, Cleveland Browns 

A stark contrast from the offensive side of the ball, Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates have been few and far between thus far. Top picks like Browns DT Mason Graham and Giants DE Abdul Carter have played well, but not yet enough to be considered the class’s best. However, another Browns rookie has been making waves this season, and his name is Carson Schwesinger. The second-round linebacker out of UCLA has brought fire and intensity to a solidly top-5 defense in Cleveland. As it stands, Schwesinger leads all rookies in total tackles (85) and tackles-for-loss (8). He’s also recorded two interceptions on the year, one each against Drake Maye and Lamar Jackson. He flies around the field and always seems to be in on key defensive plays. Schwesinger’s a stud in the making and the headliner of a solid young core for the lowly Browns to build upon. 

Best Team: LA Rams 

The really odd thing about this year is that there isn’t really one team that is miles ahead of everyone else. Typical juggernauts like the Lions and Eagles seem to be underperforming this season. Even for teams with great records like the Broncos and Patriots, you can make convincing arguments as to why they’re frauds. Going into Week 11, I told myself that the team that wins the matchup between the Seahawks and the Rams is the best team right now. Both have been playing lights-out: the defense is above average, WRs Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are playing business-as-usual, and Matt Stafford is having arguably the best season of his 17-year career. On the other hand, it’s hard to pinpoint a single weakness on Seattle’s entire roster. Sam Darnold’s career revival clearly hasn’t ended, and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is having a career year (more on him later). And the o-line, once a perennial weak spot, seems to have found its anchor in rookie first-rounder Grey Zabel. However, Los Angeles did beat the Seahawks 21-19 on Sunday and, while the game was absurdly close, I must abide by my past self’s words and name the Rams the NFL’s best team right now. 

Worst Team: Tennessee Titans 

I was this close to putting the New York Jets here, but I think they made a couple of smart trades at the deadline to gain an absurd amount of draft capital for the upcoming years. That combined with making the right decision to bench Justin Fields convinced me to cut them a little bit of slack as they’ve been put through the ringer for the past, like, all of their franchise. Instead, the lowly Titans get the honor of being the league’s worst team, and it’s not hard to see why. First overall pick Cam Ward wasn’t supposed to be a top 10 quarterback immediately, but his first ten games have been nearly inexcusable. He’s averaging just 195 passing yards per game, has thrown the same number of picks as touchdowns (6), and has taken 41 sacks. For reference, Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times in 2024, which was the third-most in NFL history. There are still seven games in the 2025 season, five of which are against fantastic defenses in the Jaguars (2x), Seahawks, Browns and Chiefs. I suppose that’s partially an o-line stat, but the point still stands. With WR1 Calvin Ridley out for the season due to a broken fibula, now is the time for Ward to build more rapport with his young playmakers in RB Tyjae Spears and WRs Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike. They have the young core, and maybe they can be competitive in the future, but it’s hard to see anything remotely positive about the current Tennessee Titans. 

Offensive Player of the Year: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks 

JSN’s production so far this season has been astounding to say the least. There were a lot of questions about the Seahawks offense coming into the year. How much volume would the new addition Cooper Kupp take up? Would the offensive line be able to hold its own? Most importantly, would Sam Darnold remember how to play football again? Such uncertainties led many to believe Seattle would underperform, myself included. But never fear, for JSN’s year-three leap is here. His 1,146 receiving yards through ten games is good for most in the NFL and is already higher than his 17-game total in 2024 (1,130). He’s also the first player in NFL history to have at least 75 receiving yards in the first ten games of a season, per The Athletic. At the rate he’s going, he is projected to come just 52 yards shy of a 2,000-yard season, something never done by a receiver in NFL history. Night after night it’s one insane catch after another, and I think it’s fair to say that the Seahawks will be contenders as long as Smith-Njigba is on the field for them. 

Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland Browns 

The Packers fan in me would love to put Micah Parsons in this spot. Alas, even the most biased fan can’t ignore the insane season Myles Garrett is having for the Cleveland Browns. Just ten games in, Garrett has already recorded 15 sacks, the highest in the league by a considerable margin. He’s on pace for 25.5 sacks this season, which would blow the current record of 22.5 out of the water. 2025 also marks his sixth 12-sack season in a row, beating Lawrence Taylor’s record of five such seasons. Need I say more? There’s obviously a lot more football to be played, but Garrett has proven time and time again that he can keep up this sort of production. I’d be interested to see what this team would look like if the offense could at least sometimes move the ball down the field. At least they can go get Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza in 2026 who will surely end their streak of horrible quarterback play. Right? Right??? 

Biggest Surprise: Chicago Bears 

This feels disgusting to write. I take no joy in asserting such a claim, but I fear the Bears might actually not be bad. Ben Johnson has brought this team to life on both sides of the ball since he arrived in the offseason. The offense is humming with second-year WR Rome Odunze, as well as rookie first-round TE Colston Loveland as of late. Even with the injuries to their secondary (Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon), Chicago still possesses three of the NFL’s four interception leaders: CB Nahshon Wright, LB Tremaine Edmunds, and CB Kevin Byard III, who’s having a rather unexpected career revival with the Bears. I don’t want to talk about the Bears too much on account of I hate them, so I’ll leave you with this: by no means is Caleb Williams playing to the caliber that draft pundits said he would be. At the same time, it’s only year two and he has been clutch enough to lead Chicago to their best record since 2018 and the top spot in the NFC North. So, and I say this with the utmost vitriol and caution, hats off to the Bears. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go wash my hands for a few hours. 

Comeback Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers 

Very few players can deal with the injuries Christian McCaffrey has sustained over his career, only to come back and put up the numbers he has. CMC dealt with Achilles Tendinitis in both feet to begin the 2024 season, came back after eight games, and then four games later suffered a PCL sprain and missed the rest of the season. One offseason later, it’s like he was never hurt. McCaffrey leads the league in total rushing attempts with 193 and while he only has 707 rushing yards, his real production comes in the receiving game. His 732 receiving yards put him squarely in the top 10 among all skill position players. Furthermore, his 74 receptions are second in the league only to Bengals WR and 2024 Triple Crown winner Ja’Marr Chase. McCaffrey has been a consistent hand on a 49ers offense that has, ironically, dealt with a multitude of injuries at QB, WR and TE. Take San Francisco’s week 5 matchup against the powerhouse LA Rams for example. The Niners were out starting QB Brock Purdy, All-Pro TE George Kittle, and WRs 1-3 in Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall. Alongside breakout performances from QB Mac Jones and WR Kendrick Bourne, CMC put up 57 rushing yards, 82 receiving yards and a touchdown to help beat LA in overtime 26-23. McCaffrey is a top two back in the NFL, and he should run away with this award. Pun intended. 

Protector of the Year: Garett Bolles, LT, Denver Broncos 

For the first time in the history of the NFL, an offensive lineman will be eligible to win an award specifically tailored to their position. Protector of the Year goes to the league’s best offensive lineman, from any part of the line, judged by a panel of former o-line greats like Jason Kelce and Andrew Whitworth. Perennial studs like Lions OT Penei Sewell and Chiefs C Creed Humphrey will be in contention, as well as 5-time NFL All-Pro RT Lane Johnson. The latter would have been my pick here a week ago but considering he will miss anywhere from 4-6 weeks with a Lisfranc sprain in his foot, it might be hard to gain any ground on the award. Instead, I’m going with a sleeper in Garett Bolles, the anchor of a Broncos o-line that has quietly been one of the best in the league. Denver has only given up 11 total sacks in 2025 and a dropback pressure rate of 28.6%, both good for second-best in the NFL. Their run-blocking isn’t as elite, but they still create a seventh-best 4.7 rush yards per carry. As for Bolles himself, he has allowed zero sacks in 2025 after signing his second four-year extension with the Broncos last year. He’s also 11^th in the league in pressures allowed with 12. For reference, Penei Sewell is the betting favorite for POTY (that acronym needs work) and he has only given up one less pressure. Bolles is the leader of that Broncos line, the glue holding together a contender with an otherwise inconsistent offense. As such, he should be recognized and rewarded for his heroics. 

Most Valuable Player: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts 

You were probably wondering why I made no mention of Jonathan Taylor during the Offensive Player of the Year section. That’s simply because I’m manifesting a more prestigious award for the former Wisconsin Badger. I know we said it last year about Saquon Barkley, but I’m saying it again now: if there’s any year for a non-quarterback to win MVP, it’s this one. Similarly to how there’s no one best team, there also lacks a consensus best quarterback. Perennial candidates like Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are dealing with injuries, while Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen aren’t playing at the levels we know they can. The two QBs you could probably argue for right now are Matthew Stafford of the Rams and second-year Patriot Drake Maye. Both are playing incredibly, don’t get me wrong. The thing is, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a running back put up numbers like Jonathan Taylor’s. His 15 rushing touchdowns are more than 29 of the other 31 NFL teams; only the Bills and the Giants have more. He’s projected for 1,936 rushing yards and a whopping 26 touchdowns which, for the record, would be 14 more touchdowns than Adrian Peterson scored back when he won MVP in 2012. That is certainly good company to be in, and voters would have no choice but to consider Taylor for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player if he can keep it up. I, for one, believe he will.